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Monthly Archives: December 2013

Ever since I did GO33 I’ve periodically checked the Ultra Marathon Statistics website in the hope my name would come up. Then I forgot about it for a while and suddenly tonight I remembered again, took a peek and there I was!!

Funnily enough I’d also been driving home past some of the route today and had been reminiscing about what a fantastic experience it was.

Sometimes I question the wisdom of clicking a link in the full knowledge that tears will follow. There’s a lot you could quote from this video – it makes you smile and nod your head although some tears are also guaranteed.

Thanks to this young man for giving me a kick up the bum from beyond the grave and through the medium of social media. I couldn’t be bothered with anything much this evening but he reminded me I should take joy in the things I do, because I can do them.

The dog and I are off out for that run in the dark after all – because we can. Then we’re going to squeeze the pips out of this weekend and every day that we can.

I have been struggling a bit with marcothon. By day 10 I started having pain in my lower legs and running blues. I was thinking about chucking it. Then again I’m quite stubborn but it did occur to me that being pigheaded could cause problems and put paid to my 2014 running plans.

I had a group run planned for day 11 so decided I’d head up and see how I felt, after all if my legs really hurt I could always stop and walk back – the dog always needs a walk regardless of how I’m feeling.

To my surprise my legs felt fine, still tired obviously, but the muddy trails were just what the doctor ordered and to my utter delight Brin (the dog) was very helpful and gave me a good pull several times. Brin also runs better/faster in the company of other dogs – she thought it was a race. All in all there were five people and four dogs and I ran a good bit more than I had expected or planned to. It was so good to be out with friends and I ended up with lovely running afterglow!

Tonight I clocked my twelfth marcothon run with a friend, Paul, and again this was just what I needed to keep my enthusiasm going and to get my tired butt up the wiggly hill (it’s a killer).

The other thing that’s great about social running? The hugs. You can’t beat a good hug.

Today I foolishly didn’t start my garmin and whilst I know I spent 45 minutes with a wee foster dog trying to teach her to canicross, I don’t know if the run was OK to be within the rules of marcothon. So, off I went at 11.35pm and ran through midnight for 52 minutes. I say ran, it was more akin to the shuffling I normally do when slumping during a long run. However, it is done and I don’t need to run again until Monday – woohoo!!

Each time I finish a marcothon run I doubt I’ll manage the next but somehow, albeit incredibly slowly, I seem to be able to keep moving one shuffling step at a time. Perpetual forward motion.

Soon, I hope, there will be some kind of breakthrough and something in the way of true progress will suddenly become apparent. Until then I will continue to remember the usual slow runner’s mantras of:

– no matter how slowly you run, you’re still lapping everyone on the sofa

So, signing up to Marcothon seemed like a good idea. It probably is still a good idea but tonight was a bit tough. Marcothon being the challenge of running for a minimum of 25 minutes or 5km every single day in December.

Having spent three weeks not running due to a nasty wee bug, I felt chubbier than ever and had finally struggled to do a couple of short, slow runs. I needed something to get my mojo back and reckoned Marcothon would fit the bill – something to keep me motivated and consistent to get my fitness back seeing as I’ve been enthusiastically signing up for more ultras in 2014.

I’m five days in and my legs think they’d like to go on strike. Not that I’ll let them, mind. It started off tough and slow, then a couple of social runs felt pretty amazing and now tonight tired legs, stubborn brain.

This is a proper challenge and spreading the miles over many days is starting to feel harder than doing them in one day! Perhaps I’ll hit a euphoric point in the month when it becomes addictive… I have it on good authority that past marcothon experiences have made a world of difference to some of my friends’ running. Fingers crossed, eh?!